So Heath Pearce obviously knew a trade to the New York Red Bulls was on the cards. But he suffered from something we can only describe as premature tweeting, as he announced his official move from Chivas USA.... more than 3 hours before it actually became official.

Heath Pearce has officially been traded to the new York red bulls. Thanks Chivas fans for your love during my time here...

The guys at Fox Soccer have been working hard lately, what with the climax to the EPL season and the Champions League Final just around the corner. Anchor Rob Stone claims they've been in overdrive....the pic suggests otherwise!

So MSNBC host Chuck Todd may not be the biggest fan of MLS, or soccer in general. But is that really a reason to make snide comments about the LA Galaxy’s trip to see President Obama at the White House to be congratulated for their 2011 MLS Cup triumph on Tuesday?

Dan Gargan usually paints to find an escape from his day job, but the Chicago Fire defender mixed his two passions in a piece he painted for Wednesday’s “Art of Futbol” Gallery showing in Chicago, which takes place on Wednesday and benefits the Chicago Fire Foundation.

Gargan’s piece is called “The Beautiful Game,” and is an abstract vision of what Gargan believes soccer embodies.

“It’s pretty simple,” Gargan told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s got a bunch of flowers in it. When I think of the game, there’s just a bunch of different ways you can express yourself through the game.

"I feel like no one person’s expression or interpretation of the game is the same, and that’s reminiscent of how flowers are. They’re all unique, and they’re all beautiful in their own way.”

Gargan has loved painting since he was a kid, and he minored in studio art at Georgetown University.

Most of his painting nowadays comes in the offseason. His paintings usually end up somewhere in his apartment or in a family member’s home, but a few players around MLS have asked him to paint for them.

This offseason, Colorado forward Conor Casey, Gargan’s former teammate, gave him a wall in his home to use as his canvas.

“He’s always been a big fan of my art,” Gargan said. “He gave me a wall and said, ‘Go for it.’”

Gargan is working on a web site to promote his art work, which he said should be up in the next few weeks.

The Fire defender is hoping people will be interested in his work, and is excited about Wednesday’s showing, which takes place from 7 to 9 pm CT at Society Art Gallery in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.

But he’s perfectly fine if painting remains just a hobby.

“What I’m getting out of it right now is exactly what I’m looking for,” Gargan said. “That’s the ability to step away from soccer and just have fun with it. It gives me a lot of joy and a lot of happiness to me and my friends and my family. If it was to get bigger, or people were interested in it, that’s great. But it’s more of just an outlet for me.”

When looking at his passes – successful and unsuccessful (image below) – you can see that nearly every attempt to contribute offensively was immediately shutdown by the RSL defense.

Alonso is great at starting the attack, but isn’t the ideal player you want on the ball in the final third. Out of 51 completed passes, he connected with Mauro Rosales the most – 12 times. This is something opposing teams should look to limit going forward.

Because Alonso plays so deep he rarely gets involved in the attack. This is the main reason why he hasn’t scored more than 6 points in Fantasy Soccer: Manager this season. He’s very consistent, but he probably won’t get you that 8-10 point game anytime soon.

One thing we have to credit Alonso for is his ability to keep the game moving. He doesn’t slow down play with meaningless “back passes” – something several other holding midfielders are known for. His defending skills and counter-attacking ability make him exceptionally unique when comparing players at this position. If he can add some offensive qualities to his game, he’ll add even more value to an already potent attacking core.

Gooch is looking suave in this magazine shoot for the latest edition of Men's Health in Portugal. Usually that kind of glance strikes fear into the opposition, but don't worry he's not angry, the US center back is in the zone for his close-up.